More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon

An interesting novel that takes place in Maine.  There are two stories going at the same time, one taking place in present day and the other in the 1800's.  The present day story is of Hannah recalling a summer of her youth.  The story in the 1800's gives a back story that carries a history that affects many generations. The writing was not really fluid for me, I had to re-read passages, but how it was all presented was well done.  Being from Maine and knowing how things can be Downeast definitely made it more interesting for me.  The ending still left me questioning, but not to the point where I thought it was unfinished.  A different story with enough going on to keep you reading to see how it was going to end.

The Student Conductor by Robert Ford

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book.  Many people loved it and I can say there wa some beautiful writing, but for me it did not flow very well.  There is a student conductor from America who is fighting some demons.  There is the master conductor who hasn't been right since the war and many other characters that have a myriad of issues.  There was a lot of internal conflict that was taken out on others and not many things resolved themselves.  I just did not enjoy the book and was very glad when I finished.

The Pickup Artist by Terry Bisson

A bit on the strange side.  I can see how people would compare it to 'Fahrenheit 451', to a point.  This is about getting rid of centuries old artists, authors and musicians to make room for newer artists.  Then it goes on an interesting, strange tangent where one of the pickup artists wanted to hear something that he picked up.  It is a twisted path and a little twisted all together.  The history that was created for this as a parallel story was just as strange.

Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett

I really enjoy the bookshop mystery.  Tricia witness a tragic death and feels there is foul play.  Through her investigating she learns more than she wants to about many aspects of her little town.  One of the things I enjoy about Barrett's writing is there is not a lot of mellow drama, it us all pretty real stuff.  She does a great job building characters, but not too much so there is still room to grow.  She always has a twist I was not expecting.  It has been a great series and am looking forward to getting more!!

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

This was for my world literature challenge.  This was a book I had on the shelf for many years and am glad that I have finally gotten around to reading it.  Not really what I was expecting, but interesting nonetheless.  It starts and ends with a reading group that Nafisi started with some girls from the college where she taught.  They read all forms of literature and talked about the parallels in fiction to their lives in Iran.  In the middle we learned more about what was going on in Iran, how the regime was constantly changing, the morality police and so much more; I found it amazing on how they lived.  For many there was a pride of country and religion, but for many others it was oppressive and they were constantly trying to buck the system.  It was very eye opening for me, learning more about Iran and it's history.  I truly do not know how people can live that way.

To Be With You by Opal Mellon

I read this book because it fit a February challenge on Goodreads.com.  Something about the book had to be romantic.  The cover has a couple kissing on the beach with the sun setting behind them.  I think this qualifies.  It is about two people, Sean and Nicole, who had been close as kids and kept in touch writing letters after Nicole moved away.  Nicole always seems to attract the wrong guy and Sean is always trying to help her through it all.  There is a lot of back story that is not totally talked about, but you get the idea that Nicole had been in many abusive relationships and could not trust anyone, even her best friend.  It is interesting how they get together in the end.  There was nothing very compelling about this book, an easy read despite the difficult subject matter, just not very interesting.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

Anther adventure with the White House chef, Ollie She seems to get it the thick of things without even trying.  She comes upon a double murder with her nemesis, Sargeant.  She is still having some problems with new staff and is not sure where her relationship is going with Gav and now she has to work with Sargeant,which is always a challenge.  There is hardly a dull moment.  Hyzy is great and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.